Why Didn't You Tell Anyone?
by zpplnchick
Summary: The gang talks about their first kiss, and a surprising revelation is revealed… Set shortly after 4x20. JH one-shot.


Summary: The gang talks about their first kiss, and a surprising revelation is revealed…

Disclaimer: I do not own That '70s Show, Led Zeppelin or Cosmopolitan Magazine… what a life it would be if I did.

A/N: So since this takes place at the end of 4x20 – "Class Picture" – Jackie is _technically _with Kelso, but details, baby. Details.

* * *

"There's no way your best kiss was with Big Rhonda," said Kelso as he walked into the basement with everyone following behind him.

Since school pictures were the last event of the day, everyone was allowed to leave after they had their picture taken. Out of the five friends, Jackie had been the last to get her picture taken, insisting that she needed the extra time to "make sure she was prettier than everyone else." They had been waiting in the cafeteria for a good 20 minutes, passing the time by laughing and making fun of Eric's zit, before Jackie finally flounced into the cafeteria with a proud smile. Eric drove them all back to the basement in the Vista Cruiser, having to suffer even more remarks about his sizeable zit – which, incidentally, had begun to shrink in size about ten minutes after he'd taken his picture.

"She was," Fez said defensively, walking into the basement just behind Kelso and plopping down on the couch comfortably. "It was during Snow Prom… and it was yummy. If only she'd have let me do it with her. She could have been my best there, too."

"I guess I get that," Donna said as she walked in after Fez and sat beside him on the couch. "She's definitely had the experience."

Hyde, Eric and Jackie followed; Hyde heading towards his chair, Eric walking back to the freezer to grab a Popsicle and Jackie going to sit on the lawn chair.

"How was Crazy Caroline?" Jackie asked, smirking at Donna. "Before she went all, you know, crazy."

"And psycho," added Hyde, matter-of-factly.

"And psycho," Jackie agreed with a nod of her head.

"She was… well, if you must know, she was rather scary," Fez said, grimacing from the memory of it.

"Scary? How? What, did she try to eat your face off?" asked Eric, jokingly.

"…Sort of."

Hyde laughed out loud, unable to stop it. The look on Jackie's face was priceless, as if the image was suddenly forced into her brain and she was powerless but to watch in horror.

"Okay, okay, okay. Let's move on," Donna said quickly, needing to plough through the moment – that image was too much for her to deal with without gagging. "Hyde, who was your best kiss?"

"Cynthia Bailey, man. Ninth grade – she cornered me after gym."

"Oh yeah! Cynthia Bailey. I remember her. She was hot," Kelso said, grinning.

"Michael!" yelled Jackie.

"What? She was! God, Jackie," said Kelso, rolling his eyes.

Jackie huffed and sat back in the chair angrily, crossing her arms. Donna smiled apologetically at her before standing up and going over to the big freeze to grab a Popsicle of her own, smacking Kelso's head along the way, earning a yelp and a "Damn, Donna!" from the idiot.

Feeling vindicated, Jackie put a smile back on her face and as a thank you to her favorite lumberjack, decided to do her a favor.

"Who was your best kiss, Eric?" she asked, addressing him from across the room.

He looked a slightly conflicted for a second before sighing and admitting defeat. "Donna," he admitted reluctantly, sneaking a glance at her, his face red in embarrassment.

"Aww," said Kelso, Fez and Hyde in unison.

"Shut it," said Eric, more than a little red.

Donna, meanwhile, was looking down at her Popsicle, busy unwrapping it and attempting to seem unaffected. Judging by the smile on her face, however, it was obvious she was pleased with Eric's answer.

Jackie smirked knowingly, eyeing Eric's blushing cheeks and Donna's slightly shaky fingers. She knew their little separation wouldn't last very long. She just wished they'd make up and get it over with already.

"What about you, Jackie?" asked Fez, sucking on a purple lollipop he'd pulled out of his shirt pocket.

"Um… Michael of- of course. Who else could it be?" Jackie said hurriedly, stumbling over her words.

Donna looked up, her brow furrowed in confusion. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden?

"Why do I get the feeling like you're lying?" asked Eric.

"I'm not lying! My best kiss was with Michael. God, you guys!" Jackie said quickly, instantly defensive.

Oblivious to Jackie's nervousness, Kelso just smiled goofily, evidently very proud of himself.

Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Jackie started to shift uncomfortably in her seat, glancing briefly at Hyde who was leaning back in his chair and staring at her intently through slightly narrowed eyes, pensive.

"Are you sure? 'Cause you're getting really shifty-eyed and fidgety," said Eric, a little amused. His mouth dropped open and he pointed his finger at her in accusation. "Oh my God! It's the cheese guy, isn't it?"

"What? No! Definitely not," said Jackie with a roll of her eyes. Her shoulders drooped as she relaxed, silently thankful for the distraction. "My best kiss was _so_ not with Todd. I told you. It was with Michael. And it was our first kiss, so there."

Kelso, at first alarmed by the mention of the cheese guy, calmed down and walked towards the end of the couch nearest to Jackie before sitting on the back of it and swinging his legs around and placing them on the seat cushions. "Yeah, guys. It's obvious who her best kiss would be," he said smugly. "Yep! You just can't get better than me!"

Finally taking his eyes off Jackie, Hyde turned towards Kelso. "Alright then, man. Who was your best?"

Kelso immediately looked down, as if the truth could be read from his eyes just by looking at him directly and he didn't want to give anyone that chance. "Oh," he started, shifting his weight guiltily. "Well, Jackie, obviously. Like anyone could top her. Right, baby?"

He looked at Jackie and found her staring at him, her eyebrow raised in obvious disbelief. But at his nervous laughter she decided to let it go and agreed with him, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Yes, Michael."

Eric shook his own head at his friend's idiot behavior. "Kelso, you are the king," he said, laughing.

"Okay, fine," Kelso said, lifting his hands up in defeat. "But at least she was my first. Okay?"

"Aww, that's so sweet, Michael," Jackie said, pouting and holding her hands to her heart while looking up at her boyfriend.

Kelso smiled and looked down at her lovingly in return.

At the nauseating exchange, Eric and Donna smirked at each other. Donna started laughing quietly to herself as she shook her head. Jackie and Kelso's displays of affection were way too mushy for her to handle sometimes. She just thanked God that her and Eric were never that bad. Honestly.

"Alright," said Eric, loudly. "That's enough of that. My gag reflex can only withstand so much. What about you, Jackie?" he asked, hoping her answer wouldn't inspire another round of sickening displays of affection.

If Donna hadn't been paying such close attention to Jackie and Kelso, she would have never noticed Jackie's slight change in demeanor. At Eric's question she had immediately stiffened, causing Donna's confusion to rise again. What with Jackie's earlier behavior and her current nervousness, Donna's curiosity grew more and more. What was she trying to hide?

"Oh, that was me, too," Kelso said confidently, again completely oblivious to Jackie's discomfort.

Donna watched as Jackie gave Kelso a strained smile before looking down at her lap – but what confused Donna even more was the fact that just before Jackie dropped her head to look at her lap, she glanced briefly at Hyde as if unable to help herself and it had caused her entire face to flush. Donna didn't know what to think of that until she laid eyes on Hyde and saw that he was staring intently at Jackie with a very proud smirk on his face.

_What the hell?_

"Jackie?"

At Donna's voice, Jackie looked up, fear in her eyes. "I… Well, I… Umm…" She swallowed thickly before trying again, this time addressing Kelso. "Okay. Michael, don't get mad."

At that, Kelso's brow furrowed, confusion clouding his features. "Don't get mad?" he asked. "What do you mean don't get mad? Your first kiss was with me. Right?" He glanced around at the other occupants of the room as if trying to find the answer written across their faces.

"Jackie?" he asked, turning back to her when she didn't respond.

Taking a deep breath, Jackie attempted to relax before answering him. "Look. It was a long time ago. Before I met you, even. I didn't know who he was or if I'd even see him again. I just reacted to how he treated me."

"Treated you? What do you mean? Who was it?" asked Kelso, more confused than angry.

Deciding to come clean and face the music, she held her head high and looked directly across the room at the only person that hadn't spoken yet. "It was Steven."

"_WHAT_?" exclaimed Kelso, Eric and Fez – all whipping their heads to look at Hyde.

Donna, having almost expected that answer based on the peculiar behavior shown by the two in the past five minutes, addressed Jackie calmly. "Are you serious?" she asked, looking intently at the tense brunette for any signs of falsehood and, shockingly, finding none.

Jackie pursed her lips together and nodded her head, glaring at Hyde and his smug expression before timidly turning her head to look up at her boyfriend.

"Your first kiss was with _Hyde_?" Kelso exclaimed, disbelief written all over his face.

Jackie took another deep breath before she responded. "Yes. Okay? My first kiss was with Steven." Upon seeing his features twist into that of anger and betrayal, she immediately stood up and went by his side to plead with him. "Michael, I told you. It was before you and I met! I didn't know that you would become best friends with him or that I'd be hanging out with him in Eric's basement, okay?" She grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry that I never told you before, I was just worried about how you'd react."

At hearing Hyde's chuckle, she whipped her head and glared at him. "Shut it, you," she said menacingly. "It's not like it meant anything."

Donna decided to step in before Kelso did anything that would eventually lead to her requiring Mrs. Forman's help in finding an eye-patch. "Okay, Kelso. Just let her explain. It's not like they're together or anything, right? Just calm down. Here, have a Fudgsicle," she said, handing him the frozen treat that she had grabbed out of the big freeze in preparation.

After glaring briefly at Hyde, Kelso looked over at Donna and nodded. He grabbed the Fudgsicle from her and settled down to sit on the couch properly, unwrapping and beginning to eat his treat, all the while glaring at the floor.

"Okay. Thank you, Michael," said Jackie, going to sit back down in the lawn chair. "As I said, it happened a long time ago. I was upset and it was a split-decision, I didn't even think about it at the time. I was just... caught up in the moment. _Will you wipe that look off your face, Steven!_ Okay. It was in 1968, just a week before I met you, Michael."

* * *

_July 30, 1968  
_

_She could not believe her mom forgot her at the mall, AGAIN!_

_God, one look at Halverson's new underwear model and it's like her mom forgot she even existed. Jackie didn't even want to think about what they could be doing by now._

_She walked over to one of the benches by the food court, wondering how she'd be able to get home this time. _

_Her Daddy was out of town on one of his 'business trips' or else he would have come to get her, for sure. At least she hoped so. Lately, he was leaving her all alone with her mother more and more often – he was hardly home at all anymore. _

_Yolanda had come to pick her up last time, but she had the day off today. Jackie didn't even know Yolanda's home number, so she couldn't call her there either._

_Sitting alone on the bench and watching strangers walk by, Jackie felt her anger quickly morph into fear. How was she going to get home? She couldn't stay here forever! What if someone tried to steal her? What would happen if some scary man kidnapped her and never let her go? She would never see her Daddy or Yolanda ever again! _

_She was so consumed by her fearful thoughts that she didn't even notice that she had started crying or that someone was standing in front of her, having paused while walking by. _

_Hyde had been on his way towards the exit, fully intending to walk home after his mom forgot him at the mall again. He knew his dad was probably at home passed out drunk, so there was no way he would be able to pick his abandoned son up at the mall. _

_It wasn't a big deal, though. He could walk himself home. It's not like he hadn't done it before – he was just happy that he didn't live far._

_He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of crying. When he glanced over to see who the sobs belonged to, he stopped in his tracks at the sight of a very pretty little girl in a light blue dress curled up on the bench with tears running down her angelic face._

_As he watched her, he was struck by how young and innocent she was – she certainly didn't deserve whatever had happened to her. He didn't know why, but he had the sudden need to pummel the person who had caused her to sit here alone, crying. _

"_Hi."_

_For a second, Jackie's wild imagination led her to expect to see a dirty old man with missing teeth and a bag of candy who would try to take her away to somewhere dark – but when she looked up and all she saw was a young boy looking at her in confusion, she visibly relaxed. He looked to be around her age and though he had a hardened, scruffy look to him, he didn't look threatening. At least not to her. _

"_Hi," she said, shyly._

"_Are you… uhh… okay?"_

"_Umm… well…" she started, considering the idea of lying to him, but as she looked up into his clear blue eyes and worried features, she decided to tell him the truth, feeling as if she could trust him. "Actually, no," she said, giving him a small smile before looking back down at her hands. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him come around to sit beside her on the bench, facing towards her slightly. _

"_What happened?" Hyde asked softly, his voice laced with concern. He wasn't exactly sure why he was feeling so strongly about her, but he felt compelled to keep his tone soft so as to not scare her. _

_He watched her take a deep breath and regain her control before speaking. His brow furrowed at that, almost surprised at how strong and controlled she quickly became._

"_My mom forgot me here. Again. Only this time, I don't know how to get home," she said, her brow creasing in worry._

"_Really?" Hyde asked, looking at her in amusement. "My mom forgot me here, too."_

_At that, her head jerked up, her eyes shining in surprise. "Really?"_

"_Yeah. She's done it before. I'm actually about to walk home," he said, nodding his head towards the exit. _

"_Oh," she said, downcast, letting her head hang back down. "Okay."_

_He could tell that she thought he was just going to leave her here. He should, actually. Judging by her clothing and groomed appearance, she probably lived in the rich neighborhood – which wasn't really nearby. It would take him at least an hour out of his way, but after seeing her lift her hand to wipe a silent, stray tear away, he made his decision._

"_Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. "Let's walk you home."_

_Upon seeing her hesitation, he gave her a reassuring smile to which she responded in kind. _

"_Okay. Thanks!"_

_He let go of her hand and led her through the mall and out the exit. When they both got outside, he noticed her lift her hands to her arms, rubbing up and down in an attempt to warm them up. Even though it was still summer, it had started to cool down at nights and the air had a definite chill to it. He pulled his sweater over his head and handed it to her._

_She reached out a small, steady hand and grabbed it, looking him in the eye in question. At his nod, she pulled it over her head. It smelled like a mixture of cigarette smoke, something that she was very familiar with because of her mom's chain-smoking tendencies, and something else – something earthy. Like wood. It wasn't until a couple of years later when her daddy installed a hot tub into the backyard that she realized what the smell was – Cedar. _

_He grinned at seeing her in his sweater. She was a tiny thing and looked even smaller in his sweater – but at least she was warm now. He laughed softly before nodding his head forward, signaling her to follow him. "Come on."_

_He got no further than three steps before she grabbed his hand in hers. When he looked down at her in surprise, she just smiled widely at him and kept on walking. _

_He conceded and walked along with her in silence for a few moments before he asked, "Where do you live, anyway?"_

_She gave him her address, but at his confused look she decided a more generalized description would have to do. "It's over in Hillside – by that mini-golf course, Putt Putt?"_

"_Okay," he said, nodding his head. "Yeah. I know where that is."_

_They continued walking in companionable silence for a while until a sudden thought popped into her head. "Hey," she said, tugging lightly on his hand._

_He turned his head towards her, eyebrows raised in question._

"_What's your name?"_

"_Hyde."_

"_Hyde?" she asked, her confusion apparent. "What kind of a name is Hyde?"_

_He smirked. "Hyde is my last name, but it's what I go by," he explained._

"_Oh," she said, looking towards the ground in contemplation for a moment before looking back at him. "Well, what's your first name, then?" _

"_Steven. What's your name?"_

"_Jackie Burkhart," she said with a proud smile. _

"_Cool," he responded with a nod of his head._

_They continued like that for another half an hour, Jackie gradually opening up more and more. He was shocked at how easy she was to talk to. Sure, she was a little conceited, but she really was a sweet girl._

_Throughout that time, he got a small glimpse into her life, and was surprised to find that other than the nice house, the nice things and the Spanish nanny, their lives weren't that different. Her dad was gone most of the time just as his was, except hers was on business trips and his was passed out in various bars throughout town. And it turned out, her mom was also a floozy whore – something he'd never really had in common with another person before. _

_Whenever she'd ask questions about his life, he'd answer her quickly with vague details, not wanting to bring her down with details of his crappy life with his crappy parents in his own crappy home. He even threw in a few jokes in order to distract her. Thankfully, it worked._

_They talked easily, her small hand still firmly grasped in his, until finally they reached her neighborhood. Another five minutes and they were standing in front of her house. It took a considerable amount of effort for him to not appear awe-struck at the size of it. His own house could easily fit into hers at least twice – and that was just the first floor._

"_So. Here we are," he said, letting go of her hand and giving her a small smile._

"_Yeah. Here's home," she said, instantly shy again, staring down at her feet._

_He lifted her chin with his index finger to get her to look at him again before asking her, "Hey. You're gonna be okay, right?"_

_Her eyes widened a bit before she replied. "Oh! Yeah. I'll be fine. Thank you, Steven, for walking me home. That was very sweet."_

"_No problem," he said with a wave of his hand. "It wasn't that big of a- oomph!"_

_He was cut off abruptly by her lips on his. He stood there dumbly, not exactly sure what to do with himself. Just as he started to respond to the kiss though, she pulled back, placing the heels of her feet back onto the cement. She gave him another big smile before turning around and running up the steps over to her front door where she grabbed a key out of a pocket in her dress – something Yolanda had insisted upon her carrying all the time – and inserted it into her door, stepping inside. Hyde watched as she turned around and gave him a small wave, to which he mimicked. After she shut her door he turned and started walking down the street, bewildered. _

_She had just kissed him! On the mouth! What had made her do that? He sighed. Oh well. Doesn't matter, anyway. He'd probably never see her again. _

_So lost in his thoughts – he never even realized that he never got his sweater back._

_Meanwhile, Jackie raced through her empty house and ran into her room. She dashed over to her desk and pulled out her diary, fully intending to give it a detailed description of her first kiss with the most perfect boy ever. She knew she had to see him again, totally prepared to visit the mall everyday if she had to._

_She grinned widely as she recorded all the juicy details into her diary, never having been more happy or excited._

_A week later… she met Michael._

* * *

March 16, 1978

"Aww," Donna and Eric both said lovingly, earning a "Get bent!" from Hyde.

"Oh my God!" Donna exclaimed, grinning. "I can't believe your first kiss was with Hyde! Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because, Donna. By the time you and I were friends, Steven and I hated each other," Jackie said, rolling her eyes. "Plus, it's not a big deal," she added emphatically, more for Kelso's benefit than anyone else's.

"Still! That's crazy!" Donna said, still grinning.

"Yeah, man – why didn't you ever say anything?" Eric asked, coming around to stand behind the couch, facing Hyde.

Hyde shrugged indifferently. "Whatever. Like she said, it happened a long time ago. It's not a big deal."

"Michael?" Jackie said to her boyfriend softly, her eyes betraying her fear. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kelso bit out, sitting rigidly on the couch with his arms crossed, staring straight ahead.

Sensing his angry tone, Jackie instantly shot up and went to kneel by him, touching his arm in an effort to calm him down. "Michael, please. Don't get mad, okay? It doesn't matter who my first kiss was with. I'm with _you_! I love _you_!"

"That doesn't change the fact that you lied to me, Jackie!" he spat, finally turning to look at her, his expression livid. "And what about before we got back together when you said you were in love with Hyde, huh? What about that?" He paused, breathing heavily. "You know what? I have to get out of here. See you later, Jackie."

He stood up and angrily exited the basement, throwing open the door and slamming it behind him before racing up the steps – all the while Jackie screaming behind him, pleading with him to stay. "Michael! Please, don't leave! I'm sorr-" Her words cut off by the slamming of the door. Her shoulders drooped and she backed up slightly to sit on the edge of the couch, still facing towards the door.

"I can't believe it!" Fez shouted angrily, startling Jackie.

She turned to look at him in confusion. "Fez? What's wrong?"

"You kissed Hyde? How could you, you son-of-a-beetch!"

"Fez? What? What do you mean?" asked Jackie.

"I can't talk to you! Good day, you whore!" shouted Fez, stalking towards the door.

"But, Fez!" Jackie said standing up, clearly bewildered.

"I said _good day_!" Fez shouted before slamming the door behind him.

Jackie spun around to address the remaining occupants of the room. "What the hell was that about?"

Donna shrugged, pushing herself off the freezer and walking across the room to sit on the lawn chair Jackie had vacated. "He's probably just jealous. You know he's had a crush on you since, like, forever."

Jackie shook her head and went to sit on the couch in the spot Kelso had been sitting. "Whatever," she said flippantly before leaning back and resting her head on the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling.

"God," she groaned. "He _just_ forgave me for the whole cheese guy fiasco. What am I gonna do now?"

"Well, I would steer clear of kissing anymore guys – at least for the time being," Eric said in mock seriousness.

"Shut up, Eric!" shouted Jackie and Donna.

Eric raised his hands above his head in mock surrender while walking towards the stairs. "Hey, you asked!" He lowered his hands. "Anyways, I'm gonna go see if there are any more of those cookies left that my mom baked yesterday. I'm hungry," he said, rubbing his stomach before racing up the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go too. I have some last minute homework to do. See you later, Hyde. Bye, Jackie," said Donna, walking out of the basement, leaving Jackie and Hyde alone.

Jackie turned to look at Hyde who she found staring at her. She smiled. "Seriously, Steven. Wipe that proud look off your face."

Hyde grinned and looked away before placing his feet on the wagon wheel coffee table, leaning back comfortably and placing his hands in his lap.

She kept her eyes on him and noticed his expression change – a frown overtaking his features. When he spoke, his voice was lower and void of any of its earlier light-heatedness.

"Jackie…"

"What?" she mumbled feeling strangely relaxed, which was odd since she'd just had a fight with her boyfriend and he'd stormed out on her not five minutes ago.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" he said, raising his eyes again to look at her, his expression thoughtful.

Jackie knew exactly what he was asking and cut to the root of his concern. "Steven, dirty and poor you may be – I'm not embarrassed by you or what happened," she said seriously. "I met Michael." She shrugged, looking away from his piercing gaze and down at her hands. "He was cute and funny and I didn't want to lose him, so I let him think that he was my first kiss." She looked up at him, to make sure he understood. "I honestly didn't know if I'd ever see you again so I didn't see what the big deal was."

She paused a second before continuing light-heartedly. "Plus," she added, smiling. "This way, it was more special. Just for me."

Hyde nodded his head, accepting her response.

Jackie got up and grabbed her purse on the coffee table before addressing him. "I'm gonna go. See you later, Steven," she said with a wave.

He gave a brief nod of his head in her direction before he reached forward to turn on the TV.

"So was it on the hood of your car or outside of your house?"

She stopped with her hand on the door handle, refusing to look at him, knowing he'd see her apprehension if she did. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice slightly higher than normal, feigning innocence.

He smirked. She was playing dumb – and not very well. "Your best kiss," he clarified.

_Damnit_.

She had wondered if he'd noticed her lie from earlier, and apparently he did. Accepting defeat, she sighed before turning around to look at him with narrowed eyes, a smile escaping her lips.

"_Goodnight_, Steven," she said with finality, emphasizing her words – grinning slightly at his smug look.

She left the basement, hearing Hyde chuckle softly as she closed the door behind her, and headed over to Donna's, knowing the other girl was dying to know the whole story. Jackie smiled at Donna's gossip tendencies. She may be a lumberjack, but she was still a girl who loved good gossip.

Truth is, her best kiss was not with her boyfriend. And it certainly wasn't with Todd, the cheese guy. It was on Veteran's day on the hood of her daddy's car up at Mount Hump with a scruffy delinquent. She wasn't kidding at the time, it _was_ hot. He'd smelled like Cedar then, too.

She walked into Donna's room after knocking briefly to find the redhead at her desk, finishing up her Algebra assignment.

"Hey," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You almost done?"

"Yeah, I've just got a couple of problems left to do," Donna said, not breaking concentration.

"Okay. I'll wait." She looked around the room, trying to find something to occupy herself with before she spotted a copy of Cosmo on the end table. For the next ten minutes, all was silent while Donna finished up her homework and Jackie happily flipped through the magazine.

Right in the middle of reading an article called "The Myth of the Unemotional Man: Classic Cases of Defrosting," Jackie heard Donna's pleased "Done!" and put the magazine away.

"So," Donna said loudly, smirking at Jackie.

"So," Jackie said with a smirk of her own, knowing what was coming.

"How was it?" Donna asked, grinning.

Totally in her element, Jackie got comfortable. She scooted back further into the bed and crossed her legs, placing her hands in her lap. "Short. Sweet." She grinned widely. "Perfect."

"Did he even respond?" Donna asked over her shoulder as she got up and walked over to her record player, putting on _Led Zeppelin III_. She'd always preferred to have music playing, even if in the background.

Jackie nodded her head, still smiling happily. "Right before I pulled away, yeah. He did."

"What made you do it?"

"What made you kiss Eric?" Jackie asked in response, raising her eyebrows.

"I liked him and I wanted to see what it was like," Donna answered easily, as if it was obvious.

"Exactly," Jackie said simply with a nod of her head, willing the other girl to understand.

"But you barely knew him!"

"Ugh! Donna, look. I was seven, okay?" Jackie stated, her hands flying up in irritation. "My floozy whore of a mother left me at the mall, again, only this time I was stuck there with no way of getting home. I was scared, I was alone and I didn't know what to do." Her tone then suddenly changed and she spoke significantly softer, a small smile playing at her lips. "Then this cute boy appears out of nowhere wanting to help me. We walked and talked together for like an hour. The more I learned about him, the more enamored I became. He was so easy going and funny."

She paused and looked down at her hands, as if needing the time to figure out how to explain the next bit. "Plus, it was like he understood me. I'd never felt that before. I barely feel it now," Jackie said, mumbling the last part quietly to herself, but Donna caught it.

Jackie then looked back up at Donna, her smile returning. "He even gave me his sweater so I wouldn't be cold. I was just… caught up in the moment. And I'm glad I did it, Donna. My first kiss was with this great guy that helped me without even knowing me – no ulterior motives. You might think it's weird, but if I had to re-do it, I wouldn't change a thing."

With _Since I've Been Loving You_ playing softly in the background, Donna paid rapt attention to Jackie during her speech, having gone to sit next to her on the bed. The change in Jackie's character in the past couple of minutes was astounding.

Since she and Jackie were the only two girls in the group, they had slowly become friends over time, leading Donna to discover why she was the way she was. Most of it had to do with her upbringing and it's not like Donna could blame Jackie for having shallow and emotionally-unavailable parents. Come to think of it, after having discovered the truth about Jackie's childhood, Donna was almost surprised that Jackie was still a good person with a good heart – that she wasn't worse.

Looking at Jackie now, though, Donna was surprised she'd never noticed this other side to her. Sure, since Jackie started hanging out at the basement, she'd slowly mellowed over time, becoming less of a shrill bitchy cheerleader and more of a human being. Still, this person in front of Donna was like a whole different person. She'd had to have kept it well hidden, or maybe Jackie didn't even realize her own change in character.

It was incredible how different Jackie was when she was talking about Hyde. She was mature. Sure of herself. It was like she'd flipped a switch, turning the rest of herself on, allowing her to feel deeper emotions and think more substantial thoughts. It made Donna wonder whether or not Jackie had deeper feelings for Hyde than she let on.

"Jackie, do you still like Hyde?"

And instantly, like she'd re-flipped the switch, Jackie turned into her old self. Again, amazing Donna.

"Of course not, Goon! I love Michael and always will."

Not having been fooled for a second, Donna grinned mischievously. "Okay, then. Whatever you say. Hey, Jackie," she said, feigning innocence. "What happened to Hyde's sweater? The one he gave you?"

"Oh, well, I still have it. It's in a box in my closet, but that does _not_ mean that I still love Steven, Donna!" Jackie said, pointing and glaring at Donna.

Donna nodded her head in acceptance, trying to keep a straight face. "Okay, okay. Whatever you say. I'll see you later, Midget."

Rolling her eyes, Jackie stood up and headed towards the door. "See you tomorrow, Donna." She closed Donna's bedroom door behind her and continued through the house, saying goodbye to Mr. Pinciotti on her way out of the kitchen. Bob, who had gotten used to kids traipsing through his house from time to time, happily bid her goodnight.

She considered stopping by Michael's, but knowing that he'd need time to cool down, she decided to leave that uncomfortable confrontation until tomorrow and started home.

She'll have to find some way to apologize to Michael, hoping that this whole thing blows over quickly. She sighed, conceding to the idea of a lot of apologizing and pleading if it doesn't.

What a day this has been. What a day.

* * *

A/N2: The Cosmo article comes from the January 1980 issue (I know, I know – but the article fit so well with the story) with supermodel Gia Carangi on the cover. Oh, and Hillside is the rich people's neighborhood in my town, I figured it was a good enough name for where Jackie's house is located. Aaaannnd I apologize if the young Jackie and Hyde don't sound 'child-like' enough – It's hard to get into that state of mind, especially since I don't think I thought or spoke like a kid when I _was_ a kid. Anyways, hoped you like it. Let me know.


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